The Prayer of Consecration

And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. (Luke 22:41-42)

In Luke 22, we see Jesus contemplating carrying the weight of humanity’s sin on the cross and dying a gruesome death. He knew exactly what was ahead. Everyone would leave Him. People would deride Him, and the physical suffering would be horrendous. We find Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, striving in prayer, talking to the Father, and asking if there was any other way for His will to come to pass. But at the end of the prayer, He concluded with, not my will, but yours be done. This is what we call the prayer of consecration. It is surrendering and yielding to God, acknowledging that His ways are above ours.

Christians often start praying this prayer a lot when they first get saved. They say things like, “I want only what you want. Do whatever you want, God!” Then, after several years, the prayer becomes much more like this: “God, this is what I want. Can you get it done?”

This should be the first prayer we pray when dealing with problems. Let’s look at the order in which Jesus prayed:

First, He came before the Father honestly. He expressed His fears, desires, and concerns.

Next, He consecrated the Father’s will entirely. He said, “It’s all about what the Father wants, not what I desire.”

Finally, He stepped out in obedience. He went to the cross. He did the hard thing. He stepped out in faith, knowing He was fulfilling what needed to happen.

Some people add “If it be Thy will” to every prayer they pray. However, when praying for something promised in God’s Word, you already know God’s will, so there’s no need to say, “If it be Thy will.” That phrase should be included only when you are trying to discern God’s will and are willing to do whatever He wants.

When making important decisions, pray as Jesus did: “Not my will, but Yours be done.” Be a person of consecration and live a life of worship.